Water chestnut, also known as water chestnut fruit, is an annual aquatic herb, which originated in China and has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. The water chestnut of Dongping Lake has a long history. According to relevant historical records, as early as 2000 years ago, when Dongping Lake was called Konosawa, water chestnut grew in the lake. According to the old fisherman, in the autumn of 1948, water chestnuts were everywhere in the lake, making it almost impossible to sail, which was a scene of wealth. Unfortunately, during the harvest season, Kuomintang troops forced fishermen to dig fortifications in the Yushan Mountain of the Yellow River in Dongping Lake. No one carried water, and the water fell to the bottom of the lake. Then the Yellow River flooded into the lake, and the water chestnut was buried under the mud and sand.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the water chestnuts in Dongping Lake were all wild and the output was very low. 1950, artificial seeding was carried out for the first time in the waters near Wangwa, Xinhu Township, Dongping Lake Secondary Reservoir Area, with an area of about 1 10,000 mu (Dongping Lake Reservoir was still a natural flood detention area at that time, and the waters could reach Liangshan County). 195 1 year was expanded again, and the whole lake area reached 70,000 mu, with water chestnuts growing. After 1955, the golden flower pest occurred in the lake year after year, which did great harm to the growth of water chestnut, resulting in a sharp decline in the area of water chestnut and a sharp decline in its yield. 1958 After the completion of Dongping Lake Reservoir, especially after the storage of Dongping Lake was divided into secondary lakes, the water area was greatly reduced, and the water surface in the lake was also reduced accordingly. In the 1980s and 1990s, the water chestnut area was about 50,000 mu, with an annual output of 3 million kilograms.

Traps are divided into two corners, four corners and black corners, and Dongping Lake is mostly two corners. Water chestnut likes warm and humid, needs plenty of sunshine, is frost-resistant, and must grow in frost-free period. The first batch of pods takes about 180 days from seed germination to maturity. The fruiting period lasts for 30 days. Every year around the Tomb-Sweeping Day, the water temperature is about 10℃, and water chestnut sprouts, shoots and leaves four or five leaves in the underwater mud, and unfolds underwater. There are two kinds of leaves, submerged leaves are pinnately divided and water leaves are rhombic. The petiole has a floating sac, and the water floats on the water surface, and it continues to branch on the stem, with fewer thick branches and more sparse branches. Flowers bloom in late summer and early autumn, and the flowers are solitary in the axils of leaves, white or reddish. After fertilization, the flowers are covered with water and grow into fruits. Fishermen have a proverb, "Old people grow old in July and set in August". Ling is resistant to deep water and can be planted in rivers and lakes with a water depth of 2-3 meters in summer and autumn. Underwater soil is fertile and soft, and nitrogen-rich humus is suitable.

The edible part of water chestnut in Dongping Lake is mainly seeds, that is, the fruit of water chestnut, which is delicious and nutritious. According to the determination, every100g of water chestnut contains 46.5g of carbohydrate, 5g of protein, 0.7g of fat, 36mg of calcium, 0.65mg of phosphorus/kloc-0, 0.6mg of iron and other trace elements. It also contains ergosterol, tannin and a small amount of vitamins. Ling can be eaten raw or cooked. It is better to eat fresh water chestnut just picked from water chestnut vine. Nenling is not only lovely in appearance, but also crispy in skin and tender in meat, fresh and fragrant in quality. It tastes sweet but not greasy, light and tasty, quenches thirst in the mouth and leaves fragrance on the teeth and cheeks. Cooked food is better than Laoling, and its meat is as white as silver, which can be stewed, burned, simmered and boiled. Roasted lean meat, stewed chicken and stewed ribs are all very fragrant and attractive.

Water chestnut becomes water chestnut after peeling, which is called "water chestnut". After water chestnut is ground into water chestnut powder, it can be used as steamed bread, scones, bean jelly, cakes and other foods. It can also be used for brewing wine, sugar, etc. In recent years, hotels and guesthouses in our county have developed a sweet and delicious water chestnut with water chestnut as the main raw material, supplemented by sugar. It is not only a famous dish for entertaining guests, but also a favorite food for tourists. Some private enterprises along the lake select high-quality water chestnuts for the convenience of consumers, and make them into beautifully packaged bagged water chestnuts after deep processing, which has become one of people's favorite gifts.

The water chestnut in Dongping Lake is not only a beautiful fruit and a good vegetable, but also has a good medicinal function. Chinese medicine believes that: Lingwei is sweet and cool, and raw food can clear away heat and relieve summer heat, relieve boredom and quench thirst; Cooked food can replenish qi and strengthen the spleen, eliminate diseases and strengthen the body. Compendium of Materia Medica records: "Ling is sweet and flat, which can relieve summer heat, accumulate food, quench thirst, tonify spleen and stomach, strengthen knees, strengthen tendons and qi, and promote blood circulation and detoxification." "Tang Herbal Medicine" said: "The mausoleum is extremely white and pleasant". Qi Shu Yao Min said: "The panacea is the top grade. Eat it, nourish the dirty, nourish the spirit and strengthen the will, remove all diseases, be smart in eyes and ears, keep fit and resist aging, steam more, honey bait, and live forever. " Herbal Medicine in Southern Yunnan said: "Spirit can cure lumbago and leg pain, numbness all over the body and rheumatism." Modern medicine believes that water chestnut pulp also has anti-cancer effect. Water chestnut is full of treasures, and its shell, stem and pedicle are all used as medicine. Clinical practice shows that the water decoction of water chestnut shell is used orally to treat diarrhea, proctoptosis and hemorrhoids, and externally to treat jaundice and other diseases. Huangshuichuang can also be cured by applying aged water chestnut shells and burning incense oil; Take 50 grams of fresh water chestnut stem and take it orally to treat gastric ulcer; External use of mashed mud or fresh water from its pedicle can remove all kinds of warts.

Dongping Lake has a perennial water surface of about 240,000 mu, and the area suitable for planting water chestnut is about 6.5438+10,000 mu. The nutritional value and medicinal value of water chestnut, especially its pollution-free and pollution-free characteristics as an aquatic plant, are being fully recognized. With the comprehensive development and utilization of Dongping Lake, the area of water chestnut in Dongping Lake will be further expanded and the output will be greatly improved to meet people's needs.